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Oticon OPN The Right choice?

Hello there,
I currently wear KS6 from Costco (UP mold) with decent results but after a recent dip in my hearing they are not quite up to stuff. The main issues are not quite with volume, but they have issues like speech clarity and feedback as well as breakdown and service issues via Costco.
I went a new Audi and he recommended Otico OPN with 105db receiver. Money isn't a huge issue and I am wondering if anyone could comment on whether these RICs are right for me and if the OPN 1 model will actually supply that much more clarity with speech. Would it be more appropriate for me to go with a power BTE?
thank you very much in advance for any assistance. What a great service this forum provides for hearing impaired!

I think the Oticon OPN BTE 13 PP (Power PLus?) will be available very soon. It's been announced recently already (see both threads below that talk about it). Maybe by early May you can get your hands on it. Check with your audi.

I think the OPN BTE 13 PP will probably work better for you compared to the regular OPN1 with the 105db receiver based on your severe hearing loss if you can wait. Or take advantage of the trial period to try out the OPN1 with 105db receiver first while waiting for the BTE 13 PP to become available, then try the BTE 13 PP next to see if you may like it better.

As far as speech clarity, the OPN does have pretty good speech clarity with their new way of doing noise removal around speech. However, its design around the new "open" paradigm means that you will hear a lot more sounds around you and will have to deal with it and train your brain hearing to learn to focus on what you want to hear and ignore the rest, which may take a bit of time getting used to, especially given your severe loss. It's not a bad thing (I actually think the "open" paradigm is a good thing), but it may need a bit of time getting used to.

With the BTE 13 PP, you'll also get their new technology called Speech Rescue which will move some of the high frequency parts of speech down to the lower range where people have better hearing in. Unfortunately I don't know how much Speech Rescue can help with your case because your loss is pretty flat across the board. But at least it's there, and not only will it be built-into the BTE 13 PP, the regular OPNs will also get it via a new firmware update as well when the update becomes available.

You got some great info & advice here bchearing! Just weighing in based on my own experience: yes, the Opn provides noticeably better clarity (at least compared to my older Oticon Agil Pro aids), but as Volusiano pointed out, it may also include lots of ambient noise that your brain has to process. Best thing would be to trial at least the RIE and BTE models.

With the larger receiver, you *may* experience some ear discomfort - so be forewarned! My ear canals aren't exactly tiny, but even with the size 85 receiver, I can sometimes get a little tender in the doorway from that 2x4 shaped receiver jammed into my ear. Dome comfort AND fit is critical here - cuz you would not want any leakage.

With the BTE and custom mold combo, you'd probably have a better experience with hearing, clarity and comfort. My only prob with that set-up is that I'm hideously allergic to the plastic mold they use (either clear or tinted pink). But that is not so common. Hope you can try both the RIE and BTE and report back here which ones work for you.

You should talk with an ENT about your loss/difficulty. With your ability to pay retail, choose one with an audiologist on staff. If you have Medicare, get a referral from you family doctor. If your insurance doesn't cover the visit, ask what the reduced fee for a cash customer would be.

Thank you so much for the input so far! I have seen an ENT for over a decade now, I have a hereditary disorder called otosclerosis, which mainly affects the Conductive hearing. It is degenerative but there is a surgery which helps, as well as cochlear implants likely down the road. I'm in Canada so the process to get these things will take a few more years before they happen, and will not cost me anything.
For the hearing aids, I do have some coverage and am in a position where I am not too concerned with cost.
The current KS6 aids I have use custom molds and I find them much more comfortable than any dome I have ever worn.
Good point about the OPN PP release time, I will discuss with my Audi about possibly trialling the OPN RIE until the PP is released, as I am currently struggling with my aids.